Franciscos story

My name is Francisco Valencia Jr.I was born in Cali Colombian onMarch 7, 1986 and I am a cancersurvivor. I can’t believe I justwrote that. It is still sometimesdifficult to accept what happened in 2011.Just yesterday my father was telling how sad he wasduring my fight with cancer and how it will break his heartseeing me laying in bed, almost as if I was dying slowly.Around June of 2011 I was weighing in 158L this is 47LBless than my normal weight of 205LB. I had Cancer. Icouldn’t believe it I couldn’t understand why this washappening. Did I do something wrong? Did I eat thewrong things? Did the Cancer spread?Why was this happening to me? Mydoctors couldn’t tell me my family wasjust as confused as I was. I neverfelt so lost in my life and confuseof where I was or if I was going tobe here in December. I didn’t have thestrength to ask my parents if they were ok. All I coulddo was apologize to them for the pain I had brought tomy family. There was such a feeling of guilt, sad, lostand anger. All I can remember was thinking I would giveeverything to be healthy.

Then Chemo therapy came and I couldn’t walk. The air wasthin and my lungs felt heavy. I remember feeling my heartslowing down. I felt as I was dying slowly. Because ofthis I refused to sleepin fear that I was notgoing to wake up. Unfort-unately for me my bodyhad an allergy reaction to thechemotherapy and theyhad to shoot me up withmedicine to counter affectthe reaction. This mademy veins burn. It felt like fire was traveling up my armsand into my body. I cried. Not so much because of thepain but of the thought this was actually happening. Thishappened for 6-7 hours a session for six months.Now after a year and half of my body fighting this cancerI am currently in remission and have to check every threemonths for any cancer activity. Now I can sit in trafficand come to work. I can walk around on my own andbreathe again. I can wake up early and go to sleep in peace.I’m gaining weight again and I recently join a gym where Ican walk. And it feels amazing. I never felt so alive in mylife and aware of the beautiful moments we overlook on adaily basis. I was blessed to spend the holidays with my

family this past year and I look forward to next year’sand the years after that. I see now how we don’t reallyappreciate how lucky we are until something that’s out ofour control comes and tries to take everything from us.Now there’s no such thing as a bad day or stress. As longas I am alive every day is a good day because that’s anotherday I get to be here.Francisco ValenciaAge: 25Diffused Large B Cellnon-Hodgkin lymphoma“Time is our most precious commodity used it wisely”

Franciscos story

by apogee11 on Jan 13, 2012

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